


Everything Will Be Okay

by LenoraLana



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Childbirth, F/M, Pregnancy, biotic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:41:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24093007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LenoraLana/pseuds/LenoraLana
Summary: A commission for LadyIlona1984. Molly Alenko is about to give birth to her son, Kaiden, and fears for his health and safety after exposure to eezo.
Kudos: 1





	Everything Will Be Okay

**_A/N: Shoutout to LadyIlona1984: I found this is my old files today. This was a story that you commissioned me to do, although it was originally deleted when I removed my Deviantart account. I thought it only fair to put this one back up for you, I hope you get a chance to see it again. XD (And, thank you again to RiHouston of Deviantart for proof-reading.)_ **

The day began as every other; the sun rose into the sky as a fresh morning breeze drifted into the room through an open window. That morning Molly was going about her morning routine, unchanged by the fact that she was currently eight and a half months pregnant. Her condition didn’t slow her down as she finished her stretching exercises before tackling the housework.

  
She and her husband Jeremy lived in one of the beautiful homes that dotted along the English Bay in Vancouver. Though it was modest, it had everything that the two of them needed, including an extra room that had been converted into a nursery. The only thing missing was the crib which was in the master bedroom for the first few months to make the adjustment for both parents and baby a little easier.   
  
Not being one for surprises, Molly knew she was carrying a boy and she knew Jeremy was looking especially forward to teaching him how to fish. With only two and a half weeks left until she was expected to go into delivery, Jeremy had taken family leave from the alliance so that he would be there to welcome his son into the world.

  
The baby kicked gently inside of her and she placed a gentle hand over her stomach.  
  
“Shh, it’s okay little one,” she whispered comfortingly. There was no doubt in her mind that he could hear what she was saying. “I’m going to make us some breakfast and then we are going for a walk around the neighborhood. How does that sound?” Those long quiet walks were something she enjoyed and shared with her unborn son. Soon, she could share that with him after he was born, pushing him in a stroller and pointing out the familiar sights to him. Part of her looked forward to being able to hold her baby in her arms and watch him grow and discover the world around him, but another part of her knew that she would miss having him inside her. No matter what happened, though, he would always be a part of her.   
  
After she ate a simple breakfast of cereal and sliced fruit, she walked out the front door and went down the street only to witness a terrible sight. A gleaming streak of flashing silver and fiery orange was all that she needed to see to know that something was terribly wrong. It was normal to see airplanes, jets, and occasional Alliance ships and shuttles flying overheard, but it was not normal to see them coming down like that and crashing.  
  
“Molly!” she heard Jeremy’s voice call out to her as he ran to were she stood frozen only a few houses down from their own home.   
  
She turned to look at him. “What could it be?” She pointed a finger at the trail of smoke coming from behind a few houses that blocked the view of the wreck itself.

  
”I don’t know, but we need to get out of here now.” Jeremy took hold of her arm as the sounds of sirens started growing louder.   
  
“You mean go back into the house?” Molly assumed that was what he meant.  
  
Jeremy shook his head, and for the first time she noticed the line of worry that creased his forehead. “I recognize that type of transport carrier-its primary cargo is Element Zero.” he told her fervently.  
  
Molly’s eyes widened in horror she realized what her husband was trying to say. Everyone knew that Element Zero was a very potent substance, and it was said to have uncertain effects on people… especially the unborn. Many children were born with abnormalities or deformities…if they were lucky to be born alive at all. It seemed as those these accidents were becoming more common occurrences and were making global news lately.   
  
“Come on, we need to get you to the hospital,” Jeremy insisted, already pulling her along. She allowed him to lead her as she worried for her own unborn child.  
  
0o0o0o0o0  
  
By the time they arrived to the emergency room lobby, the first waves of patients from the crash site were being unloaded and sent straight into waiting operating rooms. Molly noticed a few gurneys with a drape over the form underneath covering the patient’s face. Jeremy filled out the paperwork as she sat watching the vids being broadcast in the lobby as the news outlets started covering the latest fiasco.

“An inside source confirmed that this transporter was carrying a load exceeding the regulated limit for public safety. Conatix Industries is declining to officially comment at this time stating only that they are conducting their own investigation as to how this situation occurred. Stay tuned as we turn to a story regarding the newest Mars discovery…” Molly stopped listening once the news anchor switched topics. Her worries and fears preoccupied her until Jeremy noticed how upset his wife was becoming.  
  
Sitting there, he put a comforting arm around her as they quietly waited. Molly was always known as a strong woman, she was always Jeremy’s rock, his place to land when the world felt as though it were going sideways. She held the tears back, to be strong, now not only for his sake, but for that of their unborn son’s. The same fears and worries battled within his own mind as well, but he wouldn’t let Molly know that. No matter what happened, or what the news was, one thing would remain unchanged-he would love the two of them as he always had. He sat there not saying anything, lending Molly his strength. A nurse came and had Molly sit in a wheelchair as she led them toward the maternity ward. Jeremy walked beside her in the chair staying by her side as he held her hand. He seemed to sense her tension and he gave her hand a little squeeze, trying to reassure her.  
  
“Are you feeling any pain?” the nurse asked after a few moments of silence.

  
“A little,” Molly admitted. In truth, she had been experiencing some discomfort during their trip to the hospital, though she was more preoccupied with worry and fear over her unborn baby’s health to really think clearly about it. Vocalizing it, she realized that maybe it was a sign that she had been already exposed to the dangerous radiation Element Zero gave off. Was her baby already affected by the exposure? That worry just wouldn’t leave her alone no matter how hard she tried to be calm.  
  
They entered a room within the maternity ward, where Jeremy and the nurse assisted her onto a bed. She lay flat on her back and stared up at the ceiling for a moment, sending up a silent prayer that everything would be alright. She closed her eyes as the doctor came over and began to palpate her abdomen; he was examining her with his medical scanner and his sense of touch.   
  
She felt a gentle, soothing kiss on her cheek and she opened her eyes to see her husband standing over her. “It’ll be okay,” he told her. He brushed her hair out of her face and began to stroke her forehead. “No matter what, we will be alright.”  
  
Hearing the words from her husband, Molly could almost believe them. Her lips formed a small smile as she gazed up at him appreciatively. Without having to say anything, she squeezed his hand as she looked up at him.  
  
He returned her smile as he took her hand and kissed it. “I’ll always be here for you.”  
  
Jeremy’s confidence and calm presence put her more at ease as the doctors finished taking all the necessary samples to run tests on. Jeremy never let go of her hand, holding them with both of his. Even though he had to travel for his duties as he served the Alliance, he was always there for her when she needed him. She never doubted that he would be a good husband or a good father. He was very devoted to what was important in his life and he looked upon the vows he made to her as sacred.

Pain from her midsection came suddenly making Molly cry out as her hand jerked out of Jeremy’s grasp. A warm liquid seeped out from between her legs suddenly wetting the bed and all the fear she had felt previously came back. Was it blood or did her water break? Was her baby alright? Oh God please…

  
Another sharp pain and the doctor opened her legs to see what was going on. A nurse started calling out numbers to another nurse as they counted the time between contractions.

“Your water broke and you are in active labor.” The doctor examined her as the numbers the nurse called out were coming closer together. “I need you to push the next time you feel the contraction.”

Molly heard what the doctor said, but so much was going on, the nurses calling out numbers, Jeremy standing there with his hand on her arm protectively, and the doctor instructing her to push. The contraction came and she tried to push, but the pain was too great. “I….I can’t…Jeremy…” She couldn’t even get her question out between the bouts of pain she felt. Seeing his wife’s distress, the soldier in Jeremy took charge.

“Is there anything you can do for the pain?” Jeremy asked the doctor.

“No, the labor advanced too quickly for the pain blockers to work.” All of a sudden the machines started blaring out in alarm.

“The baby’s heart rate is crashing.” The nurse called out to the doctor. Another nurse started wheeling a tray over towards the doctor.

The doctor explained what was going on as his hands went through the motions of putting on gloves and placing the medical instruments where he wanted them before opening up Molly’s gown to expose her belly. “We are doing an emergency C-Section. The baby is in distress and we don’t have the space or time to take you to the OR.” Two more nurses appeared in the room setting up some items on the far side of the room out of the way of where Jeremy and Molly were at. The doctor gave Molly something for the pain and then set to work opening her up.

Even as the room had erupted into chaos since the alarms went off, Molly felt Jeremy’s hand upon her arm, her tether to what was going on around her, but now the pain meds had eased the pain she had been feeling earlier though she didn’t understand why she couldn’t have had them earlier. It was strange how quickly everything happened. As soon as the pain eased, she saw the doctor do something on the underside of her bulging stomach, and then….

The room was filled with the sudden cries of a newborn. Her baby was alive! It was the most beautiful sound Molly heard and it was like a salve to her earlier fears—her son was alive and it didn’t matter what else, they would be able to deal with whatever else life had dealt them.

  
“He’s perfect.” Jeremy’s voice wavered with relief as he noted that indeed their son had not been born with any visible deformities. His hand squeezed Molly’s arm where it still held on, never letting go of her.   
  
Before they could see him any better, the two nurses from across the room came and whisked him off to that corner of the room to clean him and run preliminary tests. As they took care of him, the doctor stitched Molly back up. Molly could see Jeremy was torn on who to be with, his newborn son or his wife. “What are you doing standing here with me? Go watch over our son.” Squeezing her arm one more time, Jeremy strode quickly over to see what was going on. After a few more long moments, the doctor finished up. By that time, Molly looked over and saw Jeremy headed back towards her, with a blanketed bundle in his arms.

Jeremy’s smile was bright and wide, his face was full of happiness and pride as he lay the baby down onto his mother’s bosom. “I thought you would want to officially meet the man of the hour.”

His tiny brown eyes opened and his mouth formed a little “O” shape as he looked upon his Mommy for the first time. She didn’t know what she had expected, but he exceeded any expectation she ever had as his little pink tongue darted out of his mouth and he blinked his eyes slowly at her as though he were taking stock of his new surroundings.  
  
“Oh, he’s so beautiful,” Molly breathed as hot tears trailed down her cheeks. She gently held her baby, her precious, perfect, beautiful boy.   
  
One of the nurses’ voices broke into their moment of joy, “I’m sorry, but we have to run a few more tests and keep him for observation.”

“I’ll come with you.” Jeremy said.

“Sir, that isn’t necessary.” The nurse assured him.

“All the same ma’am, he is my responsibility.” Jeremy told her. As the nurse put their son into the cart, Jeremy took his wife’s hand. “I’ll make sure to take good care of him. Get some rest sweetheart.” Giving her a tender kiss on the cheek, he turned and followed the nurses out of the room.  
  
Molly couldn’t help but worry. The baby seemed so healthy, and it gave her hope that he would be ok, but fears of knowing he would be alright, not just for now, but that he would remain seemingly unaffected by the Element Zero spill. She sat there as the nurses cleaned up around her praying for her child to be healthy. It was her husband’s words in the end that soothed her as she finally succumbed to sleep.

“No matter what, we will be alright. I will always be here for you.”

She tried to feel as certainly about those words as he did.

  
0o0o0o0o0  
  
She didn’t know how long she had been asleep for. The room was once more tidy, no trace of her earlier ordeal was left except the slight discomfort in her midsection and her deflated stomach showed otherwise. She noticed a water pitcher on a table within reach and poured herself a glass of water. Before she finished draining the glass, she heard a light rapping on the door and the doctor strode in with her husband in tow. Jeremy wore a smile and it set Molly at ease even though her son wasn’t with them.

Jeremy took her hand in his standing beside her giving it a loving pat as they both looked to the doctor expectantly. The doctor cleared his throat, “Your son is going to be fine,” he told her. “He’s very healthy, and after a few days in the NICU it looks as though you’ll be able to take him home with you in a few days.”  
  
Relief overwhelmed Molly, it was her greatest hope to hear them and now that they were spoken she felt all the tension from her body leave. Her husband stood there beaming and squeezed her hand harder than usual. Looking at her, Jeremy’s eyes shone from tears of relief that threatened to spill over. Her husband had never cried in front of her before, and here he was at the brink of crying out of joy.   
  
“No matter what, we will be alright.” she said in a low voice, “I will always be here for you.” At these words, the tears slipped out and streaked down his face. He leaned down and kissed her. The doctor left them to their private moment as Jeremy held Molly tightly in his arms.

Laughing, he looked at her, “You know, we never did decide on his name.”

Molly couldn’t help but laugh, “Well, I thought James was a wonderful name.”

At the sound of the name, Jeremy’s nose crinkled a little. “And I didn’t want that name. James. It doesn’t…fit.”

“Well, now you may recall why we never decided. I’d come up with a name, and you’d find a reason why you didn’t like it.” Molly couldn’t help but laugh, she had given almost every name out of the baby book to Jeremy to decide on only to find the next communication from him explained that the name wasn’t right. “Maybe you have a name you’d suggest?” she asked curiously.

After a few moments of contemplation, Jeremy answered, “I like the name Alan.”

Molly considered it briefly, “No, he didn’t look like an Alan.”

At her words, her husband’s eyes lit up, “My great-grandfather! We could name him after him!” Molly struggled to remember the names of Jeremy’s extended family. He laughed realizing she didn’t know his great-grandfather’s name, but how his son’s brown eyes were very much like his. “My grandfather, on my father’s side was named Kaidan.”

“Kaidan.” Molly mulled the name over. “Kaidan Alenko, it does seem as though it fits him.”

“He is a tough kid. Already he is holding his head up, all the nurses couldn’t believe it! And he actually looks at people when they are close to him, like he is studying them. He is already so smart!” Jeremy couldn’t contain his happiness as he excitedly relayed all the things Kaidan had already learned or started doing as he was being examined. Jeremy’s voice held awe and amazement over not only his son’s tiny accomplishments, but over the fact that he was now a father. Not even a day old and his parents were already so proud of him. Imagine what he would do as he grew older, what things he would experience, what places he would explore. They had no idea that Kaidan would always be there for those he served with and those he cared about, he would be there for humanity and their fight for survival. For now, just the simple pleasures of two proud parents happily recounting each small obstacle their child overcame was enough.


End file.
